Former AIAC director charged with 3 counts of CBT of up to RM1m

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) director Datuk Prof Dr Sundra Rajoo was charged in the sessions court today with three counts of criminal breach of trust amounting to RM1.011 million.

He claimed trial to the charges that were read out to him while repeatedly informing judge Azura Alwi that he enjoyed immunity from prosecution.

He was charged under Section 409 of the Penal Cide and if found guilty, faces up to 20 years in jail, whipping and fine for each offence

On the first charge he is said to have misappropriated RM89,700, while on the second and third charges the 63-year-old was accused of misappropriating RM621,172.50 and RM300,495 respectively.

The man who should have been charged on Monday at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex before 9am, was seen attending a judicial review on the issue of immunity from any charges at the High Court earlier, before going to the sessions court to face new charges.

Judge Azura granted Sundra bail of RM100,000 in one surety.

She also ordered him to surrender his passport by April 2 to the court but said it could be released if he needed to travel.

She set mention for the case on May 3.

Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Bahrain Omar had earlier asked the court to set the bail at RM200,000, while Sundra’s lawyer Datuk Baljit Singh Sidhu had asked for the bail to be set at RM50,000.

Baljit told the court in the bail hearing application that the Foreign Ministry and the Attorney-General had asked the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation, under which AIAC was formed, for a waiver of immunity but was refused.

In a separate case, High Court judge Datuk Nordin Hassan dismissed Sundra’s bid to assert his “claim” of diplomatic immunity and to prevent the charges from being brought against him.

Nordin said the court could not review the AG’s powers under Article 145 of the Federal Constitution to prosecute.

He also disallowed Sundra’s request for a stay of the prosecution that was to be held at the sessions court.